Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu says she opposes President Obama's commission on BP's oil spill because its membership consists entirely of independent scientists and includes no paid officials from the oil industry. Her solution: create a new commission with power divided equally between big oil executives and independent researchers.
WASHINGTON -- On the same day the White House commission investigating the Gulf oil spill announced its first meetings -- July 12-13 in New Orleans -- a Senate committee cast what amounted to a no-confidence vote on the commission's objectivity.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted Wednesday to create a congressional bipartisan commission to investigate the spill, with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and others saying a separate panel is needed because the White House commission has four environmental advocates -- three members and the executive staff director -- but no oil industry representation.
"Maybe the commission that the Congress sets up, in a more balanced fashion, with both very strong environmental views and very strong industry views, could actually come up with something that really might work for the dilemma and the challenge that this nation faces, which briefly is this: We use 20 million barrels of oil a day," Landrieu said. "That was true the day before the Deepwater Horizon blew up. It is true today. And we need to get that oil from somewhere."
Brilliant idea, eh? Fair and balanced, right? Let's give the oil industry veto power over the the commission investigating the oil disaster in the Gulf! Smart.
This is exactly the kind of garbage that got us into this mess in the first place. Amazingly, Landrieu is pushing it even as BP's well continues to flood the Gulf of Mexico. She might as well scream "Drill, baby, drill" at the top of her lungs. And she's doing it eight months after mocking the very people who warned her that a disaster like this could happen:
Meanwhile, not to be outdone by Landrieu, GOP Sen. Jim DeMint yesterday blocked legislation on the Senate floor that would have given the presidential spill commission subpoena power. If nothing else, it's a reminder that when it comes to the poor regulation and oversight of the oil industry, conservatives like Landrieu and DeMint need look no further than themselves when searching for somebody to blame.
continued at Daily Kos....
